The present invention relates to an iris image pickup apparatus and an iris authentication apparatus for guiding the position of an eye in picking up an iris image used for personal authentication, and in particular to an iris image pickup apparatus and an iris authentication apparatus which can perform high-speed iris authentication by reducing the number of retries of iris image pickup.
FIG. 8A is a front view of a conventional iris authentication apparatus. FIG. 8B is a sectional view of FIG. 8A taken along the line B—B. FIG. 8C is an enlarged view of a sight line guiding unit shown in FIG. 8A at a time of image-pickup of an iris. The iris authentication apparatus is provided with a pickup window 1 for transmitting a near infrared light on its front and an iris image pickup camera (not shown) is arranged on its rear. Near infrared light transmitting windows 2, 3 are arranged on both sides of the pickup window 1. Near infrared light illuminating apparatuses (not shown) are provided behind the near infrared light transmitting windows 2, 3.
A sight line guiding unit for iris image pickup 4 is provided above the pickup window 1. The sight line guiding unit for iris image pickup 4 has an LED group 6 arranged in a predetermined shape on the bottom 5a of a recess 5 surrounded by right/left walls 5L, 5R approximately 1.5 cm in length and upper/lower walls 5U, 5D. In the shown example, the LED group 6 is arranged in the shape of a rectangular frame. The sight line guiding unit for iris image pickup 4 includes, on its periphery, a reporting LED 7 for indicating the progress of iris authentication and an instructing LED 8 for prompting a person to be authenticated to move forward/backward.
When a person to be authenticated stands to the left against the pickup window 1, the person to be authenticated sees the left frame 6L of the rectangular frame of the LED group 6 in a thinner shape than it is actually is, or cannot see the left frame 6L, as obstructed by the left wall 5L. When the person to be authenticated stands to the right against the pickup window 1, the right frame 6R of the rectangular frame is obstructed by the right wall 5R. The person to be authenticated moves to a position where he/she sees the right/left frame 6R, 6L of the rectangular frame without partially or totally hidden, in order to stand facing toward the pickup window 1.
Similarly, when a tall person comes too close to the iris authentication apparatus, the upper frame 6U of the rectangular frame is partially hidden by the upper wall 5U. When a short person comes too close to the iris authentication apparatus, the lower frame 6D of the rectangular frame is partially hidden by the lower wall 5D. Thus the person to be authenticated can make fore-and-aft adjustment. For the fore-and-aft adjustment, in case the image of a person shot is not in a predetermined size, a controller turns on the instructing LED 8 to instruct forward or backward movement of the person to be authenticated, as well as the indicator on the sight line guiding unit for iris image pickup 4.
In case an iris image is shot on the iris authentication apparatus, a reporting LED 7 is turned on to report the progress of authentication in order for the person to be authenticated to recognize that image-pickup is under way. The person to be authenticated watches the indicator to know that image-pickup is under way or image-pickup is completed and authentication is under way.
The sight line guiding unit for iris image pickup 4 mentioned earlier can guide a person to be authenticated to a standing position where an iris image optimum for authentication can be shot. However, when the reporting LED 7 or instructing LED 8 comes on while the person to be authenticated is watching the LED group 6 in the recess 5, the person to be authenticated naturally turns toward the reporting LED 7 or instructing LED 8, thus the position of an eye of the person is dislocated from the initial position. This makes it impossible to pick up an iris image thus requiring retried iris image pickup. Several retries takes tame in authentication of an iris which gives the person to be authenticated an unpleasant feeling.